First Impressions
by Chip903
Summary: What if Shadow The Hedgehog and Rouge The Bat's first meeting with each other in Dr. Eggman's secret pyramid base was further expanded and the two of them realized they had a lot more in common than at first glance? Takes place during the episode 'Shadow Knows' from "Sonic X."


_**~First Impressions~**_

"YIPPIE!"

Confetti spilled from a party hanging from the ceiling after the overly happy and excited Dr. Eggman shouted out in glee. After watching the conclusion of the fight between his longtime rival, Sonic The Hedgehog, and his grandfather Professor Gerald's greatest creation and Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow The Hedgehog, which ended with Sonic being sent away to prison island, he was on cloud nine. To celebrate to occasion, Dr. Eggman decided to go all out and throw a party, all in Shadow's honor.

"We did it! We did it!" the egg-shaped doctor said as he held his hands up in the air enthusiastically. He then went over to a nearby podium, that Shadow himself was standing on, and proceeded to shake his hand multiple times. "That hedgehog's in the hoosegow thanks to you Shadow!"

Shadow was slightly irritated by the sudden action, but didn't show it as he shook the doctor's hand back. He also heard Eggman's robotic minions, Decoe and Bocoe, chatting amongst themselves.

"He is practically busting his buttons," Decoe said, his hands on his hips.

"That jacket always was tight around the tummy," Bocoe joked.

Shadow turned his attention to Dr. Eggman once he had let go of his hand, his mind primarily focused on getting his revenge for his dear friend Maria Robotnik, as well as everyone else who was a victim on the Space Colony Ark on that dreaded day fifty years ago. "Remember doctor, you must still obtain five more Chaos Emeralds in order to use the Eclipse Cannon. But when you do, it will give you Ultimate Power and make you master of the universe."

"Sounds good to me!" Eggman said, twirling around once happily before crossing his arms, a thoughtful and serious look coming to his face. "And now to hash out the rest of our dastardly strategy. Let's see…"

At that moment, Bokkun, Eggman's messenger, flew over to him, holding a monitor in his hands. "Doctor, I have a message for _you _this time!" He giggled as he tossed the monitor to Eggman, who just barely managed to catch it. Decoe and Bocoe stood by his side as the screen of it came on and they saw a very familiar bat appear, holding a bouquet of flowers in her arms.

"_Hiya Doc! Long time no see! I was wondering if we could get together to discuss a little business transaction."_

"A business transaction?" Decoe repeated incredulously.

"I would not trust her doctor," Bocoe added.

Eggman shrugged them both off. "Who asked you, Bolt Brain?" He looked up at Bokkun. "Fetch her right away!"

It was at that moment that they noticed the beeping sounds coming from the monitor. "Uh oh! Here we go!" Decoe and Bocoe said right before the monitor exploded, sending all four of them flying in opposite directions and Bokkun's laughter began to sound throughout the room.

"That's not funny…!" Eggman exclaimed angrily.

"Don't blame me!" Bokkun laughed. "Lots off stuff on television bombs! Hahaha!"

Still on his podium, Shadow shook his head at them before turning around and crossing his arms. Afterwards, his mind went back to the voice he had heard on the monitor. _'Hmm…interesting. And it seems that whoever that was will be paying us a visit. Wonder who it could be…'_

* * *

Not too long after the explosion , Rouge, the very same bat who was on the monitor, had snuck inside Eggman's pyramid base after being allowed inside. "I just hope this little scam of mine works…" she said softly to herself as she held the bouquet close to her. Looking ahead of her, she saw Eggman, his clothing charred from the monitor going off, run up to her and she held back a laugh from how ridiculous she thought he looked.

"I didn't expect you so soon…!" he said, trying to put on a front as if the explosion wasn't hurting him.

"Good evening doctor," Rouge replied, a flirty tone in her voice as she smiled at him. "I have a little something I'd like to show you…" she reached into the bouquet and pulled out a blue gemstone that Eggman recognized immediately.

"A Chaos Emerald…" he said, desiring it.

Rouge smirked to herself, knowing that she had him right where she wanted him. "It's all yours Eggy…If you agree to my conditions. All you have to do is be a good boy and place nice and I'll tell you where the others are. What do you say Doc? Do we have a deal?" as Rouge finished her terms, she looked over to the podium where Shadow was still standing and locked eyes with him. _'Oh wow, what have we here…?'_

Shadow returned her gaze for a brief second before he turned away from her, closing his eyes as well. _'So, that's her…'_

A flash went through the black/red hedgehog's mind immediately afterwards. In his head, he saw the familiar sight of his departed friend Maria, her long blonde hair flowing behind her and a warm loving smile on her face. _'M-Maria…?'_

As quickly as the image came to him, it disappeared just as fast and Shadow opened his eyes back. _'Where did that come from?'_ He looked over his shoulder at Rouge out of the corner of his eye. _'Did it…have something to do with her…?'_

Eggman's eyes narrowed as he thought over Rouge's proposal. "That depends. What do _you _want?"

A soft giggle came from the bat as she looked back at him. "Pleasure before business." She looked back over at Shadow and, though he was giving her back to him, that didn't stop her from addressing him. "Who's this charming friend of yours? I'm Rouge The Bat. What's your name?"

Remaining silent for a few seconds, Shadow eventually took a deep breath before answering. "It's Shadow." He turned around and faced her. "Shadow The Hedgehog."

Rouge gasped softly as she looked into the crimson rubies that were Shadow's eyes. She lost herself in them. _'My gosh…His eyes…They're beautiful…'_

Similar thought were going through Shadow's mind as well. _'Her eyes…They…Why do I see…_her…_in them…?' _He closed his eyes and tried his all to push his thought to the side. _'Such meaningless thoughts.'_

* * *

Later that night, after Rouge informed Eggman that some of the other Chaos Emeralds were being held on Prison Island, he devised a plan to infiltrate the island and take the emeralds for himself, with her and Shadow's assistance. And she couldn't have dreamed that her plan would have gone any smoother.

"That was just too perfect and all too easy!" the bat said with glee as she sauntered down the hallway that lead to the exit of the base. "It's only a matter of time before every last one of those emeralds are mine!"

"Hmph, I see that you have your own agenda."

The bat came to a stop midstep as she heard the familiar voice and looked over at one of the doors of the base that was open, seeing Shadow standing just inside of it with his back leaned up against the wall.

"Oh, it's only you Shadow," Rouge said as she turned to give the hedgehog her full attention, placing a hand on her hip and giving him a seductive look. "And what are you doing at this late hour? Hehe, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were waiting for me."

Shadow turned his head a bit, looking slightly annoyed. "You're…half-right. I was waiting for you, but not for the reasons you are most likely thinking of, I assure you."

The bat raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that right? Well then, tell me. Why were you waiting for me? Anything I can help you with?"

Standing off of the wall, Shadow walked over to her and stood across from her in the hallway. "If you must know, there was something I wanted to be sure of. But before I get into that…I couldn't help but notice that the two of us have something in common."

That caught the spy's attention. "In common, huh? Pray tell, what would that be?"

Shadow looked her in her eyes. "The two of us have our own plans for siding with Dr. Eggman."

A slight look of confusion appeared the bat's face. "What do you mean by that?"

And thus, Shadow began to explain to Rouge his reasoning for partnering with Dr. Eggman – the incident that happened onboard the Space colony Ark and his want for revenge for everyone who lost their lives there. When he finished, Rouge looked absolutely dumbstruck and shocked.

"Wow…"She breathed out. "I had heard bits and pieces of the incident that happened there, as it is an important part of my mission, but I had no idea it was like that…And for you to have experienced it firsthand…"

"Wait…" Shadow said, cutting her off. "What side mission?"

Rouge looked the hedgehog over for a moment before answering. "Well, since you apparently can trust me to tell me about your past and plans, I can tell you my little secret. I am a government agent sent to investigate what this whole "Project Shadow" ordeal is all about."

Shadow's eyes narrowed a bit.

"And it would seem that you are the one I am to report on," the bat said as she placed a finger to her chin in thought. "Hmm, and I was promised riches if I could find out anything about "Project Shadow," possibly my award being doubled or even tripled if I could bring the project back with me…"

Shadow crossed his arms once more. "Well, you found me. Question is, what do you plan to do with me?"

Rouge actually stopped and thought about what it is she actually was going to do now that she had found what she was looking for. _'Hmm, decisions decisions…The offer of gems is very tempting…But there's something about this hedgehog that intrigues me…'_

A light bulb went off in the spy's head as she thought of an idea. "Say, I have a proposition for you."

Shadow gave her a curious look. "Proposition?"

"That's right," she replied with a nod. "You see, the way I figure this whole thing, we could help each other. I want the Chaos Emeralds and you want revenge for your friends that were lost on the Ark. If we put our heads together, and manipulate that gullible doctor along the way, we both are sure to get what we want! What do you say?"

The hedgehog shook his head. "You misunderstand. What I want is revenge against every single one of this good-for-nothing humans that took everything from me." He clenched his fists tightly. "They all must pay for what they did."

Rouge blinked her eyes a few times before face-palming. "My, must you be so dramatized about this whole thing. I understand that what happened to you was horrible, but not all humans are as bad as you are making them out to be. Heck, you may even come to like some of them and even bare being around them."

Shadow glared at her. "I _highly _doubt that."

Rouge took her hand from her face and looked at him once more. "If you ask me, you should consider it. Heck, what've you got to lose?"

The hedgehog went quiet as he thought over her suggestion. As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point when she brought up the fact that there are some humans who had nothing at all to do with the tragedy fifty years ago, but that couldn't quell his want to revenge Maria. So, he came to a decision.

"Very well," he said to her. "I will see how this…befriending of humans…will go. Just to give it a chance and see where it goes from there."

Rouge grinned. "I'm glad you see things my way. Oh, and one more thing."

"What's that?" Shadow asked.

Rouge's grin turned into a smile. "Since the two of us are getting off on the right foot, how about I take you to my place and show you where I live? That way, in case you need a place to crash or in case the doctor finds out about our plan you'll have a place to fall back on."

Shadow scoffed a bit. "I'll have you know that I can handle and fend for myself." Then he thought over her idea and he reconsidered when thinking of if he did need a hideout, the place of a spy and agent would be as good a place as any. "…On second thought, I'll take you up on that offer. Never know when it may come in handy."

"Heh, well then it's decided," said Rouge as she locked her arms around Shadow's.

Shadow felt a bit of heat arise on his face at the bat's action and he looked at her. "What…do you think you're doing?"

Rouge chuckled. "Well, you said that you were able to use your powers to teleport, right? So could you be a dear and teleport us to my apartment? It's located right in the middle of Station Square. You can't miss it."

"Hmm, well I assume that would be a much quicker way of getting there," Shadow thought out loud.

"My thoughts exactly," Rouge agreed with a slight laugh as she held onto his arm a bit tighter. "Let's get going. Hehe, this will be my second time traveling by teleportation."

"You'll have to give me the details on that later," said Shadow as he went into his room with her to retrieve the Chaos Emerald that he kept for himself and held it up high above him. "Chaos Control!"

Rouge shut her eyes tight as a bright light emitted from the emerald and the two of them were engulfed in it. As the light faded, the two of them had disappeared out of the room.

* * *

Shadow and Rouge reappeared out of the bright light on the roof of a building just across the street of the bat's apartment which was in the heart of Station Square and the bright lights of the city shown brightly all around them.

"Home, sweet home," Rouge said as she looked around. "Or rather…across from it, hehe."

Shadow took his arm from around her and observed the area. "Rather bright here at night, I see. I got a bit of a tour during my battle with that fake hedgehog earlier."

"I remember you telling me about that during our briefing with Eggman," said Rouge. "Heh, maybe when we go to Prison Island you'll run into Sonic again."

A bit of a growl came from Shadow and Rouge couldn't help but giggle at the sight. "Anyways, thanks for the trip home Shadow. I appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it," the hedgehog replied. "And on that note, I should be getting back. I will see you when we attack Prison Island."

Just as Shadow was going to teleport, Rouge grabbed his arm. "Hey, hold on a sec."

A bit aggravated, Shadow looked over at her. "What is it now?"

"Back at the base, you said there was something you wanted to be sure of," Rouge said as she released his arm. "What was that all about?"

Shadow remembered the feeling he had when he first laid eyes on the bat and it came back to him to moment he looked into her eyes. "Well, you see…I felt something when I saw you back in the base when you first arrived. All it took to feel it was looking into your eyes, as I am doing now. It's something I have never experienced before with anyone and I want to know what it is."

A light blush came to Rouge's face as she heard him speak. She knew exactly what he spoke of because she herself felt the same exact thing. As much as she wanted to come right out and tell him what it was he was feeling, she knew that she had a reputation to maintain so she regained her composure, cleared her throat, and began to speak. "Hmm…I think I have an idea as to what it is that you're feeling Shadow."

"You do?" Shadow asked. "Well then, what is it?"

Rouge leaned up to his ear and spoke in a soft whisper. "You'll find out…some time very soon, I believe."

She finished her statement by placing her lips onto his cheek, giving him a soft kiss before pulling back just a quick second later. Shadow's eyes were completely wide and he looked stunned from what she had done and Rouge once again giggled when she saw the look on his face and opened her wings afterwards, lifting herself up into the air.

"Catch you later Shadow. I'm looking forward to our mission together," she said with a wave as she flew off the building and over to her apartment.

Shadow just stood there with the same look on his face as he watched the bat fly ever so gracefully. The feeling he had felt before was still present and, if possible, even stronger. He didn't know what the feeling was, but what he did know was that it had to do with Rouge and whenever she was near him, he could feel it building more and more. He lifted his hand to the place where she had kissed him and stroked it for a few moments.

"I'll find out some time soon…" He repeated the bat's last words. Then, for the first time in quite a while, fifty years to be exact, a genuine smile appeared on his face. "I'm looking very forward to it." He held the Chaos Emerald up above him once more. "Chaos Control!"

As Shadow disappeared in a bright light, Rouge watched from her balcony and, like Shadow just did, she smiled a real happy and joyous smile as she thought about his words as well as the affectionate kiss she gave him. "Something tells me this is the start of something really special."

She blew a kiss to where Shadow was before entering her apartment, the smile still present on her face.

_**~The End~**_

* * *

_**~Author's Note~**_

_**Another Shadow/Rouge oneshot completed! Been a while since I've done one! I hope you all enjoyed it!**_

_**Until next time, my fellow readers and authors, later and happy reading!**_


End file.
